Art Festival Heading Downtown

Here's information provided by ArtWalk Livermore:

Community, art, music and Livermore’s lovely downtown all come together during the 11th Annual ArtWalk Livermore, set for October 13th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Unlike most art festivals, the streets are kept open and art displays are set-up throughout the downtown in and around parks, sidewalks, galleries, wine bars, restaurants and shops, allowing visitors and the local community to experience all that this wine country downtown has to offer and a “gallery district for a day”.

Works by over 150 artists in groups, booths and exhibits will be on display, ranging from contemporary to classical, abstract to realism, pottery to mixed media, with subject matter from floral to figurative and much more. At the Art Banner Auction, visitors get a view up close of the hand-painted banners that were displayed as public art the month previously, and enjoy a glass of fine local wine from our wine, beer and beverage bar at the Livermore Valley Plaza.

Art destination offerings outside of the clusters of booths offer a varied selection of art experiences:  From exhibitions inside the Bankhead Theater to several spaces that offer revolving art exhibitions throughout the year, such as Bill Paskewitz’ “Coming Off the Wall”, an exhibition at Figurehead Gallery. Open studios will be held upstairs at the Firehouse Art Studios. This is a treat that brings people up the stairs year after year for exceptional contemporary art. Additional open studios will be held in Bothwell's creatively varied Downtown Art Studios as well as in Art Glass Studios, which also offers make-it-and-take-it arts projects.

Blacksmith Square offers a diverse and lively arts exploration this year. Dana Klebes, owner of Artistic Edge at Blacksmith Square, says, “We’ve got a whole slew of interesting arts demos happening during ArtWalk this year, from blacksmithing demonstrations to woodturning, clay sculpting and chain-mail jewelry making – and the rest of the square will round out the offerings with the tapas and hand-crafted beer we’re known for.”

A special Valley SingOut all-volunteer mini-music festival at the Livermore Valley Plaza enlivens the Plaza and surrounds. See www.valleysingout.com for the lineup and background on these fine musicians. There will also be open mic and music sets and art at Panama Red Coffee Company, and independently produced music at Artistic Edge and the Chamber of Commerce, where the Disabled Vets Painting Group will show. 

ArtWalk is a fundraiser for the Bothwell Arts Center, a project of Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, a not-for-profit corporation. To plan your day, download a map and make sure you don’t miss your favorite artworks, check out the online artist galleries at www.artwalklivermore.org.